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Traffic Safety

The Washington State Patrol’s primary goal is to provide a safe motoring environment for all Washingtonians and those visiting the Evergreen state. Troopers and commercial vehicle officers are responsible for enforcing traffic laws, investigating collisions, and assisting motors on the 17,524 miles of the state’s highways.

In 2022, Troopers: 

Made 537,456 contacts
Answered 300,515 calls for service
Investigated 35,102 collisions
Arrested 11,209 impaired drivers
Contacted 21,365 distracted drivers
Contacted 98,473 aggressive drivers
Contacted 22,001 seatbelt violators
Conducted 1,523 criminal investigations

Target Zero

The Washington State Patrol is committed to Target Zero, the state’s strategic highway plan that aims to reduce the number of highway deaths to zero by 2030.

Target Zero is a data-driven strategic plan used to identify priorities and solutions, help create common goals, and develop a language so we can work together across disciplines. Specifically, our partners use it to:

• Set statewide priorities for all traffic safety partners over the next three to four years. 
• Provide a resource of various strategies to address each emphasis area and factor. 
• Help guide federal and state project funding toward the highest priorities and most effective strategies. 
• Monitor outcomes at a statewide level for each priority area.

Coordination, collaboration, and communication among traffic safety partners are key to the implementation of the strategies. The efforts of traffic safety partners across the state are focused on implementing strategies that will help achieve the Target Zero goal. Learn more at the Target Zero Website.

Enforcement is one of four equal strategies of Target Zero, along with engineering, education and emergency medical service. Enforcement is the responsibility of police agencies at all levels.

Under Target Zero, state troopers, county sheriff’s deputies and city and tribal police officers will focus on those violations proven to cause fatal or serious injury collisions.

The Washington State Patrol first introduced Target Zero teams in 2010. These teams are spread throughout the state and focus on areas where history shows the most fatalities and serious collisions involving DUI have occurred.